Supermarkets to sell spirits in plastic bottles and milk in bags

Spirtis will come in plastic bottles and milk in bags as part of the latest consumer-led campaign to cut excess food packaging.

By Louise GrayPublished: 7:30AM GMT 04 Mar 2010

The major food retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer have all agreed to cut the carbon footprint of grocery packaging by 10 per cent over the next two years.
This will mean selling milk in bags, spirits in plastic bottles, meat in vacuum-packed plastic bags and loose fruit and vegetables. Even Easter eggs will come with less plastic packaging.

The agreement, that was driven by groups like the Women's Institute, will encourage retailers to provide facilities to recycle wrappings for bread and grapes as well as plastic bags.
To help consumers cut food waste, supermarkets will sell smaller portions such as half loaves of bread and suggest recipes for left overs.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, that drew up the agreement, said it could save consumers £800 million over three years because of the reduction in the amount of food thrown away.
The commitments to tackle the environmental impact of grocery waste will also save the industry £200 million and cut greenhouse gas emissions by three million tonnes over the next three years.
Hilary Benn, the environment secretary, said the UK has to cut the amount of food and excess packaging sent to landfill.
"A fifth of household waste is packaging, and more than half of this comes from the groceries we buy. This packaging can be essential, but in many cases using less and smarter packaging can achieve the same result," he said.
:: Anti-litter campaigners have called on retailers and manufacturers to come up with more innovative designs for products and packaging to help cut levels of rubbish on England's streets.
The call is part of Keep Britain Tidy's manifesto for tackling litter and improving the quality of people's local environment.
Other proposed measures in the This Is Our Home document include making it easier to catch and fine motorists who throw litter from cars and a new "gold standard" awarded for the cleanest and best-managed towns and cities.